Office hours and scheduling meetings with me
I set aside time each week to ensure I get to meet with my students. However, teaching a given course is not my only responsibility on campus, so there are a few general rules I need to follow regarding meetings.
- My regular office hours are on the syllabus for each course. During these times, feel free to drop in if I am not already occupied.
- For other times, you will need an appointment. I am always happy to arrange meetings outside of office hours. However, I will need a minimum of 24hrs notice so I can shift other responsibilities around.
- For most questions, we should be able to finish in 20 minutes. If you feel you will need longer, please let me know.
- Please let me know when you sign up what topic you want to address in the meeting!
- Without a prior appointment, I likely will not be available other times you come by. Please understand that I need those times to grade, meet with other students, or plan classes.
- Wednesdays are when I schedule off-campus responsibilities, and I am typically not available for appointments unless I have specifically indicated otherwise.
Communication
- please contact me at bpenney@anselm.edu, using your SAC email account.
- I will get back to you within one business day (excepting if there are network problems, eetc.)
- If you want a clarification of something, please ask. However, if you are asking me information that is available on the syllabus or other course document, that is what I am going to tell you!
Letters of recommendation
If you need a letter of recommendation from me, please ask! One of the great joys of my job is helping students to get into the jobs/professional schools they want.
However, I want to ensure I can actually help you in this regard. To start, I will need the following in order to assess whether I can write you a letter:
- a two week lead time minimum
- the addresses (and salutations) to whom the letter is to be addressed
- any relevant forms that must be submitted
- any instructions required: e.g. do I return the letter to you in a sealed envelope, or mail direclty to the institution?
- an updated copy of your resume/CV
- a one to two sentence description of why you feel I am the best person to write this letter for you
I will then be able to get back to you to discuss how strong a letter I feel I can write for you, and we can proceed from there.
